Hardaway's No. 10 To Hang From Rafters

September 18, 2009|By Ira Winderman Staff Writer

A fixture at Alonzo Mourning's side when the Heat made its move into the NBA elite in the late 1990s, former point guard Tim Hardaway will next move alongside Mourning in the rafters at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Heat announced Thursday that Hardaway will become the second of its players to have his number retired, with his No. 10 to join Mourning's No. 33 above the team's home court in a ceremony prior to the Oct. 28 regular-season opener against the Knicks.

"Words can't describe what I'm feeling right now, just to be acknowledged as one of the best players in Heat history and getting your number retired," Hardaway said. "When they told me, I had a smile on my face like the Joker.

"This solidifies my career here."

With Mourning and Hardaway joining the Heat during the 1995-96 season, the team's first under then-coach Pat Riley, the Heat quickly moved to the top of its division and found itself in a series of dramatic playoff matchups against the Knicks.

"When you think about the Miami Heat organization and the 20-plus years that the franchise has been in existence, there are always going to be those names that have helped develop the taproot and foundation for what we hope to be a long tradition of success here in Miami," Riley, now team president, said in a statement. "Alonzo Mourning was one. His jersey now is hanging from the rafters in the AmericanAirlines Arena. Tim Hardaway is another."

Hardaway ranks as the Heat's all-time leader in assists, 3-pointers and 3-pointers attempted. He also owns the Heat single-season assist record, recording 695 in 1996-97.

In announcing the franchise's plans to pay homage to the team's 21 seasons, Riley last season said a series of player jerseys would be retired once Mourning received his recognition. Mourning's number was retired at halftime of a March 30 game against the Magic.

The only jerseys other than Mourning's hanging at AmericanAirlines Arena are those of former NBA legend Michael Jordan and former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino. Those jerseys, which Riley said stand as a tribute to athletic excellence, hang separately from the Mourning jersey, as well as the jerseys commemorating the Heat's 2006 NBA championship, the team's division-title banners, and one in honor of long-time, now-retired trainer Ron Culp.

Hardaway, Mourning and current franchise leader Dwyane Wade also have been honored with banners commemorating their Olympic participation.

Hardaway might have had his jersey retired sooner had it not been for anti-gay comments made on a South Florida radio station while serving as an NBA ambassador during the 2007 NBA All-Star Game. He has since apologized for those remarks and has taken an active role in fighting such prejudices.

"I'm trying to make amends with everything, trying to make everything right," he said Thursday. "If that's what people perceive of me, I can't change their thinking. The only thing I can do is try to do better, try to make amends for it, keep going."

Now, 43, Hardaway said that experience helped him grow.

"It definitely made me a better person," he said. "There's always speed bumps in life, and everybody has those bumps.

"It's how you can deal with them, seeing if you can grow from it, if you can become a better person, and that's what I'm doing. It's making me a better person, making me a better father, a better parent, a better husband, a better human being. I've learned a lot from that."